Apparatus for molding veneer boats



Jan. 13, 1953 B. FREES, 'JR 2,625,187

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING VENEER BOATS Filed Nov, 17, 1948 3 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 @ven/07' 26a .Buff/rf fir/IE5 JR.

B. FREES, JR

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING VENEER BOATS Jan. 13, 1953 2 Sl-IEETS-SHEET 2 Filed NOV. 17, 1948 Patented Jan. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a boat and method of molding the same, and While the method could be used for different articles and, different kinds of boats, it specifically is designed to `make molded boats of wooden veneer.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple and eicient method for making a boat` of wooden veneer, which method may be easily and quickly performed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of making a veneer boat or similar article which consists in providing a form the outer surface of which constitutes a matrix forA the inner side of the boat or article` to be produced, securing veneer to the outer side of said form over the outer surface thereof, providing a shell adapted to fit over said form, which shell has a flexible diaphragm therein adapted to engage over the outer surface of said veneer on said forml applying air pressure to said diaphragm within said shell to press said-diaphragm against said veneer and press said veneer against the outer surface of said form, then applying steam under pressure to said diaphragm for transmitting heat and pressure to said veneer to mold the same and press the same against said form, relieving said steam pressure and then removing said shell from said form and removing said boat from said form.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method for making a, molded veneer boat which consists in providing a form the outer surface of which constitutes a matrix for the inner side of said boat, placing a wooden layer to form the outer side of said form, tasking two or more layers of wooden veneer to said form to cover the outer surface thereof, providing a metal shell having the general shape of said form, said shell having a flexible diaphragm spaced from the inner wall of said shell and secured to said wall along the bottom edge portion thereof, charging air under pressure into said shell above said diaphragm to press said diaphragm against said veneer and to press said veneer against said form gradually draining or bleeding off. said air preferably adjacent the bottom of said shell, gradually charging steam under pressure into said shell above said diaphragm to replace said air, maintaining said steam under pressure on said diaphragm for a considerable period to mold and hold said veneer against said form, then relieving said steam pressure, removing said shell from said form and removing said boatformedby said vde a device for making a molded veneer boat or article comprising a form preferably made of concrete, said form having a wooden layer onits outer surface, said outer surface constituting a matrix for the inner side of a boat or article to be molded, a plurality of rods extending upwardly at each side of said form and spaced longitudinally thereof, a metal shell having the general shapeof said form adapted to be placed over said form and having apertures through which said rods pass for guiding said shell vertically in alignment with said form, a fiexible diaphragm within said shell secured to the bottom of said shell and adapted to extend over the surface of said form, a plurality of inlet conduits at the top of said shell spaced longitudinally thereof and a plurality of outlet conduits adjacent the lower side of said shell spaced longitudinally thereof;

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide such a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, said form having an outwardly extending flange at its bottom side, said shell having an outwardly extending flange at its bottom side adapted torest 0n said first mentioned flange, said shell preferably having a plurality of reenforcing members, such as angle irons, extending transversely thereover and secured to the flange of said shell at their lower ends and said inlet and outlet conduits being provided with regulating valves.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following.

description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout vthe several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the molding device;

Fig. -2 is a view in side .elevation of the molding.

device;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a boat made by the method of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section takt-nA variously made and made of different materials,v

in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and in practice said form hasbeenmadehfrom concrete. As shown in Fig., 3 ,the-form is hollow and comprises a rather heavylayerfof concrete.

The outer portion offorml comprises a layer.

of wood Illa. The form I0, as` shown in Fig. 6, in plan, has the general shape of the boat or article to be molded. Said form has an outwardly extending flange |013 surrounding the `same which also comprises the top layer of wood Ia. A plurality of guiding rods I I extend vertically at each side of form I0 being spaced longitudinally thereof, said rods being shown as two in number at each side of said form. Said rods are secured in and extend from the flange b. The form I0 or the outer surface thereof has the same shape as the inner side of the boat or article to be molded and the form thus forms in effect a matrix for said boat or article. Form I0 has at its front end in the upper surface thereof a slot IIle disposed centrally thereof and extending for some distance from its front end. This slot is of rectangular or trapezoidal shape in cross section.

A shell is provided, preferably m-ade from a sheet of metal and this has the general shape of the form I0 and is adapted to t thereover with its inner wall in spaced relation to form It. Shell 20 has an outwardly extending flange 20a at its bottom which rests upon the top cf flange 10b. Flange 20a is provided with openings through which the rods I I extend and in which they substantially t so that said shell 2e can be moved vertically in alignment with the form It. A flexible diaphragm 2| is disposed within the shell 29 and will have the general shape of said shell and of the outer surface of form I0 so that it extends over the entire outer surface of form Ill rather closely adjacent thereto. Diaphragm 2l is secured to the lower edge portion of shell 2t, as

shown in Fig. 3, in any suitable manner, such as being secured thereto by a suitable adhesive. Said diaphragm extends under the inner edge of flange 20a and is disposed in a recess in wooden portion IIJa, Conduits I4 extend outwardly and somewhat downwardly from adjacent the bottom of shell 29 and communicate at their inner ends with the bottom of the space between shell 20 and diaphragm 2I Conduite I5 are secured to conduits i4 and extend vertically therefrom, the

same being provided at their upper ends with pressure gauges I6. Valves I'I are preferably produits are preferably provided with suitable regui lating valves 23. Quite a large number of ribs 24 are shown extending transversely around the shell 20 and spaced longitudinally thereof. While members 24 could take various 'sh-apes, in the em-V bodiment of the invention illustrated they are shown as being made of angle iron, the ends of which are secured to flange Zim in any suitable manner, as by welding. Angle irons 3B are secured to the bottom of form l@ and spaced bolts 3l ex-tend through flanges 20c. and I0@ and through the horizontal flanges of members 3). Bolts are equipped with nuts 32 which may be welded to angle irons 3).

In carrying out the method of the invention, form I0 will be placed upon the door or suitable support. The shell 20 may be removed entirely from the form or it may be moved to an elevated position with lts flange 20a adjacent the upper ends of the rods l I. These rods will be of consid'- erable height and will extend quite a distance ell) above the form I0. Two or more layers of thin wood veneer 26 will now be laid over the outer surface of form I0 and these layers will be tacked to the form by small nails or tacks driven through the sheets of veneer and into the wooden layer Illa. Usually either three or ve layers of the veneer are employed. The sheets of veneer will be coated with a suitable adhesive on their contacting surfaces. A keel strip 28a forming part of the boat 28, as shown in Fig. 4, will be disposed in the slot Ille. Said strip will be curved so that it will t into said slot. The adjacent edges of the veneer sheets may be tacked or screwed to this keel strip. After the veneer has thus been tacked to the form I0 so as to conform generally to its shape and cover the same, the shell 2D is lowered or placed over the form with the veneer thereon. This shell, due to the ribs 24 and its own weight and the weight of the parts carried thereby, is quite heavy. It will be secured in position on ilange lila by bolts 3l. Air under pressure is now charged into the shell 2i) through inlet conduits 22 and between the inner wall thereof and diaphragm 2I to give a pressure of from l5 to 25 pounds. This air pressure forces the diaphragm 2| against the 'veneer sheets 26 and the veneer is pressed closely against and molded to the outer surface of form I il. The air pressure is maintained for a short period. The air is then removed by draining or bleeding the same through the outlet conduits I4. As shown, there are two of these conduits at each side of the form and there are two at the rear end of the form. As the air is withdrawn through conduits I4, steam under pressure is admitted through the inlet conduits 22. The steam then gradually replaces the air in the shell 2l) above the diaphragm 2| and moves downwardly as the air is removed. The conduits I4 are placed adjacent the bottom of the shell so that all of the air will be removed and there will be 11o air pocket-s left in the shell between its inner wall and the diaphragm 2|. Steam pressure up to from to 60 pounds is used. The steam pressure causes diaphragm 2I to press tightly against the veneer and mold the same to the form I0 and heat and pressure is thus applied to the veneer by the steam. The heat acts to soften the adhesive and then cause the same to set and dry. The steam pressure is maintained for quite a period, usually from 20 to 40 minutes. The pressures used can be seen on the steam gauges I 6. After said period the steam is discharged by opening the valves I8 in the conduits I. Shell 2B is now elevated on the rods H or it may be removed altogether. The veneer is then removed from the form I0 and is now molded into the shape of the boat desired. It may be stated that the boat i's provided with a transom 2822 and this is placed aga-inst the' rear end of the form I6 and the rear ends of the plywood tacked thereto before the shell 20 is placed over the form I0 and the plywood thereon. When the veneer is removed a boat or other article will be formed, the inside of which will have the same shape as the outer side of form IG. All that is necessary is then to place a gunwale 28e on the boat and provide the same with the usual seats and other accessories.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a method and apparatusby.

means of which veneer boats can be very easily and quickly produced. The air and steam pressure molds the boat perfectly to the sha-pe of the form and the veneer and adhesive thereon is set into permanent form bythe application of the heat and pressure of the steam. The boat therefore retains the shape that it has when removed from form l0. The veneer boats have been found in practice to be very strong and rugged and the same are at the same time quite light in weight. A very satisfactory boat is produced and the Isame may constitute a rowboat, a boat adapted to receive an outboard motor on a large boat known as a cruiser. The method and apparatus have a high degree of utility. For instance, if it is desired to reproduce a boat, the boat may be used as a mold from which to make the concrete form. This is particularly feasible when making boats, such as duck boats. Heretofore it has been the practice to use a large and very expensive autoclave in the molding process. Applicants mold and shell can be produced at comparatively small expense and can be made by ordinary mechanics in a comparatively short time. Applicant therefore has a method and apparatus which involves a comparatively small amount of capital or eX- pense. The mold and 'shell is thus capable of being transported without great inconvenience. The method and `apparatus have been amply demonstrated in actual prac-tice and found to be very successful and efficient.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the apparatus and in the steps and sequence of steps of the method without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a method and apparatus capable of carrying out the objects labove set forth, such as disclosed and deiined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

.1. A form for use in making an article to be molded comprising a body having an outer surface of the shape of the inside of the desired article, said body having `an outwardly projecting ange at its lower side and having an outer layer of wood forming its outer surface, a plurality of vertically Aextending guide rods at each side of said form extending upwardly from said flange, a metal shell having substantially the shape of said form and having an outwardly projecting ange at its lower side, said last mentioned -ange having openings therethrough through which said guide rods are arranged to extend so that said shell can be elevated in alignment with said form and substantially above the upper portion of the same on said guide rods, said shell having a diaphragm therein shaped to extend over said form and secured at its lower edges to said shell and forming a chamber between s-aid shell and said diaphragm, valve equipped inlet conduits at the top of said shell adapted to admit air or steam under pressure and valve equipped outlet conduits adjacent the bottom of said shell.

2. A device for molding a boat having in combination, a form comprising a body of concrete of the general shape of the inside of the boat to be molded, a layer of wood on said concrete, said form having an outwardly projecting iiange at its lower side, a plurality of vertically extending rods secured at their lower ends in said flange at each side of said form, a shell having an inner side adapted to extend over said form and of the general shape thereof, said shell having an outwardly extending flange at its bottom, said flange on said shell being provided with apertures through which said rods extend whereby said shell can be elevated vertically in alignment with said form, a Iiexible diaphragm at the inner side of said shell shaped to extend over the surface of said form, said diaphragm being spaced from said shell but secured thereto at its lower edge, a plurality of inlet conduits at the top of said shell spaced longitudinally thereof and a plurality of outlet conduits adjacent the lower side of said shell spaced longitudinally thereof, and a plurality of reenforcing straps extending transversely over said shell and secured at their lower ends to the flange on said shell.

BURKE FREES, J R.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,425,113 Loughead Aug. 8, 1922 2,331,296 Bendix Oct. 12, 1943 2,363,431 Moorhouse Nov. 21, 1944 2,366,435 Brown Jan. 2, 1945 2,392,108 Vidal Jan. 1, 1946 2,411,497 Barnes Nov. 26, 1946 2,414,917 Young Jan. 28, 1947 2,426,729 Davidson Sept. 2, 1947 2,458,864 Lindsay Jan. 11, 1949 

